The subject matter herein relates generally to cables having twisted wire pairs, and more particularly, to untwisting tools for the twisted wire pairs.
Cables in the telecommunications, electronics and computer industries utilize shielded and unshielded twisted pairs of wires. The wires are terminated to an electrical connector provided at an end of the cable. During termination, the twisted pairs of wires are exposed and portions of the wires are untwisted and straightened. The individual wires of the pair are then terminated to the electrical connector.
Common examples of such cables typically include four twisted pairs of wires that must be untwisted before they can be properly terminated. A common method for untwisting the twisted pairs is untwisting the wires by hand. Hand untwisting is slow, can irritate the skin, and does not effectively straighten the wires. Another common method for untwisting the wires is known as the “pick method”. The pick method entails a user placing a metal or plastic awl between the length of twisted wires and pulling the awl toward the cut ends of the wires. The pick method is not without disadvantages. For instance, the awl may damage the wires as the awl is pulled towards the cut ends. Additionally, the pick method cannot untwist all types of wires. The pick method may not straighten the wires when the wires are untwisted. Some tools have been developed to untwist the twisted pairs of wires. For example, electrically driven tools are known for untwisting the wires. However, such tools are bulky, heavy and expensive. A need remains for a tool that untwists twisted pairs of wires easily and reliably.